Rastaman Vibration cover art

  Studio Album · No. 7

Rastaman Vibration Songwriting Credits by Bob Marley

1976 Island Records / Tuff Gong 10 tracks 35 min

Produced by Robert Nesta Marley, The Wailers

Island Records / Tuff Gong Roots ReggaeReggae
40%
Authorship
Co-Performer

Holds writing credit on 4 of 10 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 4 / 10 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 10 tracks with documented writers, by whether Bob Marley carries a lyricist or composer credit.

40%
4 trackswritten by Bob Marley 6 tracksoutside writers
Bob Marley's roles on this album

Share of the 10 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist10%
Composer40%
Producer100%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

10
Tracks
6
Lyricists
1
Producers
1976
Released
Data Insight

Bob Marley wrote every song on Rastaman Vibration but credited family and friends in the liner notes to work around an unfavorable 1968 publishing contract with Cayman Music that would have taken much of his songwriting royalties. The album's closing political centerpiece, War, sets words drawn almost verbatim from Emperor Haile Selassie's October 4, 1963 speech to the United Nations to music, and it carries a credit to Allen Cole and Carlton Barrett rather than Marley. Friend Alan Skill Cole reportedly bought a pamphlet of the Selassie speech and urged Marley to record it.

Bob Marley & The Wailers' fourth Island album, released April 30, 1976. Their only US top-ten album during Marley's lifetime, peaking at number eight on the Billboard 200. The self-produced record features 'Roots, Rock, Reggae' and 'War', the latter adapting a speech by Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie into a direct anti-racism statement. As with Natty Dread, most official writing credits are distributed among Wailers associates rather than Marley.

Track Listing & Credits 10 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Positive Vibration
Vincent Ford Vincent Ford Robert Nesta Marley Bob Marley (Lead Vocals)
2
Roots, Rock, Reggae #51
Vincent Ford Vincent Ford Robert Nesta Marley Bob Marley (Lead Vocals)
3
Johnny Was
Rita Marley Alpharita Constantia Marley Robert Nesta Marley Bob Marley (Lead Vocals)
4
Cry to Me
Rita Marley Alpharita Constantia Marley Robert Nesta Marley Bob Marley (Lead Vocals)
5
Want More
Aston Barrett Aston Francis Barrett Robert Nesta Marley Bob Marley (Lead Vocals)
6
Crazy Baldhead
Rita MarleyVincent Ford Alpharita Constantia MarleyVincent Ford Robert Nesta Marley Bob Marley (Lead Vocals)
7
Who the Cap Fit
Aston BarrettCarlton Barrett Aston Francis BarrettCarlton Lloyd Barrett Robert Nesta Marley Bob Marley (Lead Vocals)
8
Night Shift
Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley Robert Nesta Marley Bob Marley (Lead Vocals)
9
War
Allen ColeCarlton Barrett Allen ColeCarlton Lloyd Barrett Robert Nesta Marley Bob Marley (Lead Vocals)
10
Rat Race
Rita Marley Alpharita Constantia Marley Robert Nesta Marley Bob Marley (Lead Vocals)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 10 contributors

AC
Alpharita Constantia Marley
Writer
On this album4 written
RM
Rita Marley
Writer
On this album4 written
VF
Vincent Ford
Writer
On this album3 written
AB
Aston Barrett
Writer
On this album2 written
AF
Aston Francis Barrett
Writer
On this album2 written
CB
Carlton Barrett
Writer
On this album2 written
CL
Carlton Lloyd Barrett
Writer
On this album2 written
RN
Robert Nesta Marley
Writer · Producer
On this album1 written
AC
Allen Cole
Writer
On this album1 written
BM
Bob Marley
Writer · Vocals
On this album1 written

More from Bob Marley

1965 67%
The Wailing Wailers
Studio One
12 tracksProd. Clement Seymour Dodd
1970 92%
Soul Rebels
Upsetter / Trojan Records
12 tracksProd. Rainford Hugh Perry
1971 83%
Soul Revolution Part II
Upsetter Records
12 tracksProd. Rainford Hugh Perry
1973 100%
Catch a Fire
Island Records / Tuff Gong
9 tracksProd. Robert Nesta Marley
1973 70%
Burnin'
Island Records / Tuff Gong
10 tracksProd. Robert Nesta Marley
1974 67%
Natty Dread
Island Records / Tuff Gong
9 tracksProd. Chris Blackwell
1977 100%
Exodus
Island Records / Tuff Gong
10 tracksProd. Robert Nesta Marley
1978 100%
Kaya
Island Records / Tuff Gong
10 tracksProd. Robert Nesta Marley
1979 100%
Survival
Island Records / Tuff Gong
10 tracksProd. Robert Nesta Marley
1980 100%
Uprising
Island Records / Tuff Gong
10 tracksProd. Robert Nesta Marley
1983 100%
Confrontation
Island Records / Tuff Gong
10 tracksProd. Robert Nesta Marley

Frequently Asked Questions Rastaman Vibration

Who wrote the songs on Bob Marley's Rastaman Vibration?
Bob Marley wrote all the songs on Rastaman Vibration. He attributed many of them to family and friends in the credits to avoid a dispute with his former publisher, Cayman Music, who held an unfavorable contract he signed in 1968. Crediting close associates let him keep songwriting royalties he would otherwise have lost.
Who wrote War by Bob Marley?
War is credited to Allen Cole and Carlton Barrett, but Bob Marley wrote it himself and kept his name off the credits because of the publishing dispute. The lyrics come almost word for word from Emperor Haile Selassie's October 4, 1963 speech to the United Nations. Marley's friend Alan Skill Cole suggested the speech and encouraged him to record it.
What speech inspired the song War on Rastaman Vibration?
The song War is based on a speech Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia delivered to the United Nations General Assembly on October 4, 1963. The speech called for equality among all people regardless of race, class, or nationality, and warned that war would continue until that equality was achieved. Marley adapted the words closely for the track.
Was Roots, Rock, Reggae a hit single for Bob Marley?
Roots, Rock, Reggae was released as a single in 1976 and peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100. It remains the only Bob Marley single ever to chart on the Hot 100. The song appears on side one of Rastaman Vibration.
How did Rastaman Vibration perform on the charts?
Rastaman Vibration reached number 8 on the Billboard 200, making it Bob Marley and the Wailers' first album to enter the US top 10. It also reached number 15 on the UK Albums Chart. The album charted in several other countries including France, Norway, the Netherlands, and Canada.
When was Rastaman Vibration released and on what label?
Rastaman Vibration was released on April 30, 1976, by Island Records. It was Bob Marley and the Wailers' eighth studio album. Recording took place at Harry J and Joe Gibbs studios in Kingston, Jamaica, with mixing at Criteria Studios in Miami.
Is Rastaman Vibration certified Gold?
Yes. Rastaman Vibration was certified Gold by the RIAA in the United States for sales of 500,000 units. It was also certified Gold by the BPI in the United Kingdom. It was the first Bob Marley album to reach the US top 10.

Sources

Wikipedia: Rastaman Vibration Wikipedia: War (Bob Marley song) MusicBrainz release-group search: Rastaman Vibration Cover Art Archive: Rastaman Vibration front cover Cover Art Archive: Rastaman Vibration by Bob Marley